


One Shot

by FleetSparrow



Series: Story a Day in May 2018 [1]
Category: Batman (Comics), Nightwing (Comics)
Genre: Gen, Original Character(s), Police Officer Dick Grayson
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-02
Updated: 2018-05-02
Packaged: 2019-05-01 01:36:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14509635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FleetSparrow/pseuds/FleetSparrow
Summary: One shot affects so many lives.  This time, it's Officer Dick Grayson's.





	One Shot

**Author's Note:**

> For Story-a-Day in May.

Bruce heard the call come in at 2:30 pm on the Bludhaven police scanner he'd installed in the Cave.

"Officer down. Request backup."

It was Officer Rohrbach's call sign. Dick's partner. Dick's car.

He turned up the radio, listening to the response as SWAT was being called. Fire fight. Officer down.

Dick.

He could suit up and be in Bludhaven in thirty minutes if he pushed the speed limits. That might be thirty more minutes than Dick had. If only he had been there, he might have stopped whatever was going on. At least they would have backup already there.

He suited up anyway.

The Batmobile roared to life as he got inside, ready to take him wherever he was needed. How much was he needed right now? He hadn't wanted Dick to go into the police force, not in Bludhaven, especially. But Dick had been determined, and that determination was what had made him so good as Robin, and even better as Nightwing. But now, he was just a civilian. No kevlar suit, no cover of darkness. Just the midday sun glaring down and a bullet hole somewhere in him.

Bruce could hardly think straight. Officer down could mean a lot of things, but none of them were good. Dick could just be injured, lying somewhere protected, perhaps behind a car while they waited for backup. Dick could be dead in the street. No more bright eyes. No more beautiful blue.

No more Dick.

His hands clenched on the wheel as Bruce fought to keep himself in check. He didn't know yet, wouldn't know until he got there. He needed to stay calm. He couldn't help Dick if he wasn't in charge of himself. Dick needed him, that much he knew. Dick needed someone. Anyone.

He drove a little faster.

\-----

The shooting took place right outside La Tiramisu restaurant. Two thirty pm, right on the button. Tony had never seen someone shot before, even living in 'Haven as long as he had. Nobody had been hurt at his restaurant before. And it had to be that kid.

The cop who got shot was a good one, one of the few who weren't extorting or threatening. He was trying to bring down that kinda corruption. He was one of the good guys.

The kid could only have been in his twenties, at best, young and full of gumption. Tony admired that. The city hadn't broken him yet, and somehow, Tony was almost sure it wouldn't.

And then it had happened. Some young junkie out of his mind had come in looking to rob the place, waving around a piece that he could barely handle. Saul had hit the alarm from the kitchen, letting Tony deal with the kid up front. Within minutes, the cops were there, catching the kid as he ran from the restaurant. That young officer had got out of the car and started talking to him, walking towards this nervous kid with a heater, acting like they were just having a normal chat. He didn't draw his gun or nothing.

And then bam. That gun went off and the officer dropped. Just hit the ground like a sack of meat. All that youth, all that goodness, cut down right before Tony's eyes. He'd never realized how bright blood could be when it's coming out on a white uniform.

Tony and the junkie just stood there staring. The second officer was calling to her partner, ordering the kid to drop his weapon, but they just stared down at the man on the ground.

Nothing goes right in the 'Haven.

\----

I never shot someone before. Never even owned a piece before. Don't own it now either; I stole it from my brother. He's a cop. Was a cop. Left his gun with us when he left us on our own, two years ago. He was out gettin' waffles, can you believe that? The one time he's out gettin' waffles and he gets shot for twenty bucks. If that don't beat all.

Then, who am I to judge? I just killed a cop.

All I wanted was a little cash. I gotta have it to pay off some debts. I figured they had enough, being as fancy as that name is. I grab the gun, wave it around a little, threaten a guy, he gives me cash. Not so hard. Nobody's gotta die. I'm not like that.

But then these cops come up from I dunno where, just suddenly they're here and I'm there with a gun and no cash, alarm going off in my head like some kinda death knell. Yeah, I know what that means. I ain't stupid, you know.

This cop walks out all calm, like, like you see in the movies. He's sayin' something, but I don't hear him on account of the alarm still going. He reaches out for me and that's when I panic.

I shot a cop.

Now I'm dead. The lady cop knows it too, because she's still screaming at me to drop it. But I didn't mean to. It just went off. I didn't know they could be so loud.

The cop's moving. He's not dead. He's holding his side and saying something, but I can't hear him. He's too quiet or my head's too loud. He's still reaching for the gun, but not like before. Like he's begging me to give it to him.

Aw hell, I already shot him. It's almost fair to let him shoot me back.

I hand it to him, although it's gettin' hard to see. There's something in my eyes and my face is wet. And then he's huggin' me, and I know blood's gettin' everywhere but he's just huggin' me and he's whisperin', "It's gonna be OK."

I shot him, right, and he's tellin' me it's gonna be OK.


End file.
